Alhambra High School Principal

Feb 09, 2018 12:09PM

Career Pathways

By Tom Doppe, Principal, Alhambra High School

Among the many great things happening here at Alhambra, one that I
most often like to boast about is our career pathways. The goal of these courses is to give our
students real world experiences and hands-on learning in the workplace and in
the community. Last year, students in our Honors Public Health class started an
“Idle Free” initiative at our school that culminated with our school board
passing a resolution to be an “Idle Free” school district. But that wasn’t enough
for our students. Our students made
connections with the City of Martinez, and over a series of meetings they have
advocated and won the support of the city to be the first “Idle Free” city in
the Easy Bay! This is learning at its best!
Please see a brief summary below, written by our Public Health Students:

30 Seconds or Less Is Best!

The Public Health
class at Alhambra High School has been hard at work to improve air quality in
our community. Their efforts paid off with the help of Councilman Mark
Ross, who supported the passage of a City of Martinez Idle Free Proclamation
for Motorized Vehicles on January 17, 2018. Martinez is the first East Bay city
to pass this type of proclamation, and hopefully, it will not be the last! With
this proclamation, citizens are asked to reduce idling in our city and, when
necessary, limit it to 30 seconds.

Idling is the running of a
vehicle’s engine without the vehicle actually in motion. This emits
pollutants into the air, which decreases lung function and aggravates asthma. Idling
also produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change. In fact,
just 10 minutes of idling produces a pound of carbon dioxide emissions!

Last year, the students guided the Martinez
Unified School Board to pass a resolution to reduce idling on district
properties. Since then, they have been spreading the word to reduce idling by
educating parents and students within the school district, and their work is
not done. Now the students hope to educate the greater community by
working with the city to spread the word via social media and community events.
All citizens can make a difference in improving our local air quality
with these simple steps: take the Idle Free Pledge at idlefreebayarea.org/idle-free-pledge;
stop idling when you are waiting for someone; avoid drive through lines; and
spread the word to neighbors and friends! The earth is our home! Isn’t it best
if our community comes together to take care of it?